José del Carmen Ramírez National Park

Just like its adjacent Armando Bermúdez National Park, yet less explored, this is one of the country’s first national parks and protected areas. Stretching across three provinces at 764 square kilometers (295 square miles), the park was named after a prominent Dominican general. Flora and fauna abound, from pine and broadleaf forests to cedar trees, rodents, hogs, and harmless grass snakes. Birding is ideal here–you can spot numerous species that thrive at high altitude, including the endangered Golden Swallow, the Hispaniolan parakeet, the Hispaniolan parrot, and the black-throated Blue warbler, among many others. The park also provides an alternative entry point to the two- or three-day hike leading to Pico Duarte.